Two councils close lists on which trees to protect

Auckland City and North Shore residents who were hoping to safeguard their favourite trees from the chop may have missed the deadline for applications.

The two councils have taken suggestions for trees to add to their protected lists - Auckland from its community boards and North Shore from the public - and say there will not be another round of nominations.

Under a law change Auckland councils have two years to update lists of individually protected trees before rules against felling trees over a certain size are scrapped in January 2012.

Auckland City plans to assess each tree suggested by community boards and make a list of the ones officers agree should be protected to give to the Super City council when it takes over planning for the region in a year.

It will not change its district plan to protect any new trees.

North Shore City is further ahead - it has already assessed the trees people suggested needed protecting during a round of consultation last summer, and will organise a change to its district plan early next year covering the trees it agreed were worthy.

Residents of Waitakere who want to nominate a tree are in luck - their council is taking suggestions for additions to the protected tree lists from December until February, though it has not ruled out leaving it to the Super City to bring in changes to planning rules.

Tree Council chairwoman Sigrid Shayer said Auckland City's refusal to let people suggest new trees now that the law had changed left Auckland's tree cover at risk.

The tree council tried unsuccessfully to persuade Auckland City councillors to take new nominations.

Anyone who wanted to protect a new tree before 2012 would have to go through a private plan change at a cost of at least $2000, she said.

She called on Environment Minister Nick Smith - who promised to prod councils that failed to make progress updating their lists - to step in.